Izuku wished he had caught the man’s name. His ruby red eyes were so intense that even weeks later Izuku could still feel them staring at him. He ha wanted the man to stay even for a little bit because he was put right back to work after he left. The small break had been enough to give him some energy but still, he wished he could have gotten some real sleep.
Cumin had been a pretty nasty mood, a customer had slipped out without paying their tab. They would be caught sooner or later but until then Cumin had made it his mission to make all the workers downstairs in the brothel lives a living hell.
On top of that Endeavor had been by not only once but twice this week. He could feel burns and sickness from infections from them eat away at his stamina. Endeavor would hurt him badly but just shy of needing to pay extra so Izuku could recover.
Izuku wondered where the red eye man was. He wished he would come back even for a few minutes. If he ever did Izuku would get his name, he needed a name. Danny hadn’t come back to see him, and he wondered if it was something the other man did. Izuku tired to do what the man said, rely on himself, but he couldn’t help but hope that someone would come for him. Save him and the others in the brothel… save them from HF. He had hoped foolishly that the red-eyed man had been the one to do it, it was a nice little fantasy. The black haired man bursting through the door scooping him up and they run far away to someplace safe. IT was a stupid fantasy. The other man had told him to rely on himself … but Izuku just wanted someone to care, even just for a moment.
A few days later. Laying on the bed Izuku tried not to cry, It only made Endeavor stay longer because he enjoyed the sound. The large man enjoyed hearing and seeing the aftermath of what he did to the boy. The third time this week. He would be heading out of town for a while so he wanted to get what he could out of the boy. The fire user almost lovingly reached out and pet the naked back of Izuku, only to leave a fresh burn on his hip. "I’ll see you soon. Next time smile more, you should be happy I’m even bothering with trash like you.“ With that, he left.
Izuku now had the 15 minutes before the next customer came in. He shut his eyes and cried. He let his mind wander back to his mystery man, walking through the door Endeavor’s head on a spike as the two of them walked away from this place. Izuku would see the stars and the sun, and be free. He didn’t even really want to stay with the other man, he just wanted to be free, see the world… not that it would ever happen. The man wasn’t coming back and neither was he ever getting out of here. Getting up he changed the bed. cleaned the room, it didn’t matter how much it hurt or how tired he was. He had to make sure everything was perfect because one complaint would mean a very bad visit from Cumin.
A knock at the door. Izuku slowly walked over to answer it, his quirk making him look older, and hiding the damage that had been done to him. He wasn’t sure how long he could hold this form. But he would have to. He opened the door a forced smile on his lips only to drop it, the man was back. A small real smile replaced the look of shock. He had come back.
🔪 For weeks those monsters were doing at Legs stayed on his mind. Those were true monsters. The kind of filth he wanted to force the world to see for what they were. The world relied on heroes to protect them and save them. So many people were overlooked or were so low on the priority list that help came too late just because they could not pay. That was not Heroism, that was capitalism. Legs was a test of a Hero's selflessness and all that faced that test had failed. Not a one was willing to sacrifice themselves to save any of those children. These heroes tortured, abused and broke the very people they swore to defend. If that was not true Villainy...
However, Stain did not wish to be seen as supporting this vile place. He never claimed to be a hero but he did not wish to add to anyone's suffering. Paying the entrance fee was in a sense giving them the funds they needed to continue harming these children. If there was a way to sneak in... But there was not. This place was more fortified and had more security than some bank vaults.
Stopping these men was not enough. After hunting them down, there was the task of tailing them until he got proof of their crimes. Thankfully these monsters could not hide their perverted natures for long. There was always little ways their sickness leaked out. Then he had the proof he needed to extract his retribution. Showing these false heroes to be the villains they were. People had to understand why he had killed them, that they were not heroes or the blood on his hands was meaningless!
There was only one name left on his list. So far no one had reported on any of the heroes he had killed, and while ending Endeavor would make the world take notice, Stain felt he was not ready. The second best Hero had considerable skills and a vast security team. It would hate intense training and planning to make Endeavor pay for his villainy.
Although Stain was able to find false heroes on his own, to his mind the worst offenders were the ones that frequented Legs. Not the sort to avoid the hard things in life, Stain decided to return. These Heroes were the worst of the worst. They were the ones he wanted to hunt. Ignoring Cumin's shit-eating grin, Stain paid his fee and walked down the death trap of a hall to Treasure's room. Even though he knew he could ..."Just walk on in."... Stain knocked. The boy had a hard enough life, he would do his best to not make it worse. Best he just get his information and leave.
Inclining his head slightly in response to the welcoming smile, Stain slipped past the boy into the room. Seeing that again the boy was practically naked in that gauzy robe and too tight booty shorts, he went straight to the wardrobe to find something decent for the kid to wear. Only this time what was available was worse. Feeling filthy for even looking at some of that gear, Stain shut the door with a grunt of disgust. Glancing Treasure's way, he took in the careful way he moved. The slight wince. Hitched breath. Shivering. This kid was moving like he just had the beat down of his life.
Removing his shoulder rig, Stain dropped the weapons on the floor and triggered the military grade EMP device that would give them privacy. Slipping off his shirt, Stain saw the fear in the boy's eyes. Huffing, Stain crossed the distance and forced his shirt over the boy's head. Even with Treasure's arms trapped inside, his shirt was huge on the kid. But it did cover everything and it was toasty from his body heat. Irritated but understanding why Treasure feared him, Stain locked gazed with the boy. He had been careful not to even graze the kid's skin when he put the shirt on him. "I told you as long as you are honest with me and answer my questions I will never hurt you. I would never use you or anyone like that. I won't even touch you as long as you never betray me."
Going back to the spot where he had sat before, Stain started the ritual of cleaning his weapons again but this time sheathing each one as soon as they were clean. "Sit down before you collapse. Tell me about who has visited you and what they have done. You said there are other children. Younger. How much younger. Do you know the names of the heroes who used them? Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Stain listened as the boy talked. He knew using interrogation tactic against a kid was not kind but it did give him the best results. Those that experienced such trauma tended not to be forthcoming. By asking so many questions at once the kid was so busy trying to remember all the questions he asked and answer them that he was not guarding his words. Also as the emotion of remembering each pain broke down the boy's walls he got more details. It was painful to hear the horrors these kids experienced at the hands of those who should have been their saviors. Their Heroes. It was beyond comprehension that this was actually happening and not some horror movie.
When Treasure spoke of Endeavor, Stain set the gun he was putting together to the side and focused solely on what was being said. He waited patiently, thinking over all that he had learned while the boy quietly cried. When Stain realized it was all quiet, he looked up but was not surprised to see the by had fallen asleep. Sleep eased pain and the mind. Continuing to sort out the information and plan out where he wanted to start, Stain let the kid sleep.
An hour later he had finished cleaning his weapons and knew where to find several of the heroes he was going to visit. "Hey, Kid. Time for me to go. I need my shirt." After tucking his shirt in and adjusting his rig, Stain gave Treasure a short bow. "You are better off not knowing who I am. Then it won't be a lie that you didn't know not to talk to me. As for Danny, The police got the evidence he deliberately disfigured his girlfriend. He is six feet under and will never hurt anyone again. Before Treasure could ask any more questions, he headed for the door. Hand on the doorknob, Stain paused. "Hey kid, I noticed your breath always smells minty. Use some of your toothpaste on those burns. It will ease the pain and get rid of that scorched flesh smell." Gently he shut the door and left. Part of him hoping to run into Cumin so he could murder the bastard! 🔪